American Democracy and the Promise of Justice

CONTENTS OF CURRICULUM UNIT 19.03.02

  1. Unit Guide
  1. Introduction
  2. What we are Doing (Action Process)
  3. Rationale
  4. Content Background
  5. Unit Objectives
  6. Topic One
  7. Topic Two
  8. Topic Three
  9. Topic Four
  10. Topic Five
  11. Teaching Strategies
  12. Timeline: Voting Rights and Civil Rights
  13. Classroom Activities
  14. Resources
  15. Student Resources
  16. Teacher Resources
  17. Bibliography
  18. Appendix
  19. Notes

The Right to Vote: Empowerment and Civic Engagement in our Democracy

Cinde H. Berkowitz

Published September 2019

Tools for this Unit:

What we are Doing (Action Process)

The League of Women Voters (LWV) believes,

Voting is a sacred right. For 100 years, we have fought to protect the rights of eligible voters and expand access for those who have been disenfranchised by the democratic process. Our volunteers spearhead efforts to enact common-sense voting reforms, and we are the first to fight back when voters’ rights become threatened. We protect millions of voters every year by aggressive advocacy and education efforts. We have been at the forefront of major voting rights court cases over the last decade.1

The LWV has volunteered to partner with the school to guide students in this process. This unit will work together with the League of Women Voters to help educate our students, their families, and the community in a voter registration campaign.

The LWV is an American civic organization that was formed to help women take a larger role in public affairs after they won the right to vote. It was founded in 1920 to support women’s suffrage rights. The LWV began as a "mighty political experiment" aimed to help women exercise their responsibilities as voters. Originally, only women could join the league, but in 1973 the charter was modified to include men. LWV operates at the local, state, and national level, with over 1,000 local and 50 state leagues. The LWV is officially nonpartisan—it neither supports nor opposes candidates or parties. However, it does support a variety of progressive, public policy positions, including campaign finance reform, universal health care, climate change action, and environmental regulation.

Learning from history proves that the process does matter. With the upcoming 2020 Presidential election, the timing is beneficial for studying the issues.

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